The present invention has both educational and entertainment applications.
Typical magnetic levitation devices in the prior art using spin stabilization comprise two magnets, one that is fixed, called a base, and one that levitates above the base, sometimes referred to as a floater, levitating magnet, or floating magnet. The levitating or floating magnet in a field created by the base magnet is inherently unstable; however, some stability may be achieved by spinning the floating magnet. For example, the floating magnet may comprise a top having a vertically elongated stem with a vertical axis and a flat planar magnet mounted on the stem and having a first polar orientation. The fixed or base magnet also has a substantially vertical axis and a planar surface; the base magnet has been magnetized so as to create a repelling polar orientation to the polar orientation of the spinning top magnet, i.e., the North pole of the floating magnet is arranged at the lower end of the floating magnet, for example, to be adjacent the North pole of the base magnet arranged at the top of the base magnet. The repelling force produced by the polar magnetic fields suspends the floating magnet and the spin stabilizes its position and orientation.
In the prior art, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,404,062 and 6,608,540, the user of the device spins the top on a flat non-magnetic plate so that its axis is generally co-linear with the axis of the base magnet. The user then raises the plate with spinning top to an elevation where the interaction of the opposing magnetic fields induces separation, that is, the lifting off, of the top from the plate. Sustained levitation of the top ensues and the plate is then lowered or removed.
Spinning the top requires considerable dexterity. The forces inherent in the operation, coupled with the magnetic interactions between the base and top, often cause the top to flip or be thrown from the field. Raising the lifter (or launch) plate can be done too quickly or jerkily, causing the top to be ejected from the levitation zone.
Still another problem in the prior art involves difficulty in launching the spinning top into the levitation state. In the prior art devices described above, when the plate is supported on the base magnet and the top is spun, it may occur that the interacting magnetic force between the base magnet and the spinning magnet is too great. In such event, the spinning top, when approaching or brought to the point of maximum upwardly directed force from the base magnet, literally jumps off the plate and thereby loses its stability and crashes. That is because the weight of the spinning top does not properly balance the upward levitating force produced by the interacting magnetic fields of the top and base. Conversely, despite continuous movement of the plate so as to find the point of maximum force generated by the base magnet, the spinning top may fail to rise from the plate. In that event, the weight of the spinning top is too great. In the prior art, adjusting the weight of the spinning top is effected by placing non-magnetic washers on, or removing them from, the stem of the top, thereby increasing or decreasing the weight of the spinning top to gaunter the difficulty described above in launching the spinning top. It is a trial-and-error process that can only be performed between flight attempts. In addition, the washers used to change the weight of the top are easily misplaced and, in any event, the incremental weight may be too crude to finely balance the forces.
In the prior art, achieving the correct horizontal orientation of the base magnet is also very crude and involves the placement of shims or wedges under one or more of the edges of the base magnet at an appropriate location, or the manipulation of leveling legs, to thereby tilt the base. In other words, the physical surface of the base magnet is tilted, changing the orientation of the substantially vertical axis of its magnetic field, thereby aligning the axis with that of the spinning top magnet. However, the shims and wedges are also easily misplaced and, in any event, finding their optimal location for placement beneath the base and then ascertaining the proper shimming or wedging height is tricky. Effecting proper orientation of the base using leveling legs presents a similar problem. The adjustment typically involves the difficult task of manipulating two legs an precise proportion through an estimating process. This method of base adjustment, like the shimming and wedging methods, often leads to unsuccessful launches, which can cause the user to become frustrated.
These and other deficiencies in prior art devices are overcome with the method and apparatus of the present invention.